Until the in the 1970's we mainly used sucrose as a sweetener, especially in sodas, and consumed via food products/beverages only about 1/2 pound of fructose (mainly high fructose corn syrup) a year. In 1997 it was estimated that in the US average consumption was over 60 pounds of fructose (from sodas and sweetened foods) (data from HolisticHealthFoundation.com).

Why is fructose worse than glucose or sucrose?

1. It requires the liver to break it down and uses up a lot of energy molecules - called ATP. Thereby making people fatigued and even may lead to fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome. Higher blood levels of fructose can be damaging to the protein in your body, as well.

2. If the body tries to absorb fructose, without any sucrose present, the lower intestine has trouble digesting it and will produce excess gas. This can lead to bloating and diarrhea!

3. People are misled thinking that the calories are what are bad about soft drinks - the Hidden Poison/Truth is that it is the high fructose corn syrup that does the damage in our system - obesity, hypertension etc.

The Fructose Truth -

What else does fructose do? It leads to elevated blood triglycerides - a fat associated with Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome- x. It can contribute to uric acid elevation and gout, which can lead to chronic inflammation and accelerate the atherosclerotic process.

How much fructose do you need ingest to get toxic effects? If you drink the big 64 oz sodas all at once and get 60-75 grams of fructose at once then you really are asking for trouble -liver overburden, fat formation etc. If you add up daily intake of fructose, many people can easily ingest several hundred grams daily from breads, cookies, ketchup, from fruit and other sweet foods. What else can fructose do that is BAD? Some people have Fructose Intolerance (like lactose) and get irritable bowel-like syndrome with gas, pain, indigestion etc.

The Dangers Of Eating Caramelized And Barbecued Foods! What are AGE'S? It stands for "advanced glycoslated end products". And ironically these AGE'S leads to AGING. The AGE'S are formed in a chemical reaction when proteins are heated together with sugars especially the fructose type of sugar. For example, in baking; we call it "toasting" - like bread crusts, but in this case. Cartelization occurs - like flan - a very dangerous food/dessert made from heating cooked milk together with sugar. When you tan a hide - and it gets stiff this is an AGE formation process. The same happens inside our bodies when our proteins are naturally reacting to too much fructose and glucose; we get stiff arteries, high blood pressure, etc. These AGE products do the damage to organs producing kidney damage, eye damage and overall organ aging. Can we ingest foods that contain AGE'S? Yes, we can easily absorb at least 10% of dietary age's" we eat.

Worst - Most AGE'S are in:

1. Blackened meats, fish and poultry.

2. Burnt fat and protein and sugar in barbecued meats. All meats contain some sugars.

3.Grilled meats, SAFEST are poached or boiled or steamed meats and fish. Of the AGE"S we absorb from food 2/3 stay in the body and produce injury and tissue aging (eyes, kidneys, arteries etc).

One of the biggest problems overlooked regarding fructose is that most of it comes from GMO (genetically modified) corn. In addition to the glycemic insult (when the body has trouble expelling the sugars as we eat even more of it) that we do know, scientists have not conducted long term studies to determine absolute safety. What is GMO food doing to genetic and cellular integrity? We do not know, but on can hazard a guess that it's not good. Additionally, ANY sweetener (even natural) becomes a poison when it is refined. By removing the essential trace elements that aid in blood sugar transport and cellular metabolism, even a "natural" sugar becomes disease inducing.

It should be interesting to note that one of the sweetest foods grown on planet earth is also the most beneficial to pancreatic health. Why? Because it is so rich in CHROMIUM. To which food do I refer? Whole, unprocessed, organic sugar cane. Through the process of refining it into "table sugar" almost ALL of the chromium is removed. Ingesting this refined poison depletes the pancreatic/body stores of chromium, insuring longevity only to the American Diabetes Association.

What is another great source for food-grown chromium? Whole, unprocessed organic grains. Unfortunately, altered forms poison the population in the form of refined grains (pasta, white breads, pastries). Again, largely because almost all the chromium has been refined out (much less all the additional refined sugars added, including fructose).

Regarding the (advanced glycoslated end products) acrylamide-cancer- aging connection, things can get pretty out-of-hand calling EVERYTHING a carcinogen. It's merely one of many thousands of age- accelerating free-radical foodstuffs. Suppose the average American was on an exclusively ORGANIC diet, it would be hard to pin AGE's as the most critical component in aging and cancer creation. Then again, if everyone were eating primarily raw foods, this would not even be a topic for discussion.

What causes aging? STRESS: Physiological, emotional, mental, spiritual, economic and political. GMO fructose and AGE's are just part of the mix, albeit IMPORTANT ones to acknowledge and avoid.

But let's get back to the importance of chromium. Most of the dietary supplements on the market being sold for pancreatic health and/or weight loss are merely pharmaceutical-lite - that is to say, synthetically produced. For example, the U.S. government holds the patent on Chromium picolinate, which is synthetic chromium bound to a metabolic waste product known as picolinic acid. The body can actually use a very small percentage of this form of chromium. Add to this the stress Americans put themselves under and we have a nation of overweight and physically unfit humans. We seemingly can't live without technology, but it's this technology that makes being lazy so much easier. Centuries ago, people were more active outdoors- not only traveling back and forth to work and school by walking, but spent leisure time outdoors, as well. Kids today sit in front of TV's, computers and video games. Their parents don't set examples for them, either, often coming home from work to do more work at their desks or watch sports on TV. I was an obese child and I knows first hand the pressures that children face everyday. I am dedicated to guiding people of all ages toward achieving optimal physical and emotional health and well-being.